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Had Toronto FC fans taken England’s vulture press seriously Sunday afternoon, they would have seen Jermain Defoe land at any number of British Premier League teams.

Heck, by Sunday night some around Toronto had written off Defoe completely after rumours of his impending exit popped up endlessly.

As the Toronto Sun first reported Monday, those rumours were false.

There were bids, sure, but Defoe remains committed to the club, a well-placed source told the Sun.

“When we made a decision to go big and build a club, there are certain environments that come with that,” MLSE head honcho Tim Leiweke told the Sun exclusively.

“When you approach transfer window days, you anticipate good and bad.”

The good: Toronto FC had bids in for five of its players before Sunday night, demonstrating a certain level of respect for the club’s rebuilt roster.

The bad: “Obviously the bid that was most intense was for Jermain Defoe,” Leiweke said.

In total, three clubs wanted Defoe.

Leiweke wouldn’t confirm the highest price, but an informed source told the Sun that Queens Park Rangers approached MLSE with an $11-million bid for the 31-year-old striker, who leads TFC with 11 goals.

Defoe, in a bit of a twist, was in London this week for what the club said was a second opinion on his injured groin.

There were reports — well, English reports — that Defoe wasn’t settling into Toronto, and that he was interested in moving back home.

And, considering recent front-office shakeups, there was a bit of confusion from both camps. The dissension, though, has been put to bed, the Sun was told.

“There was perception that we were trying to sell him,” Leiweke explained. “There was a perception on our end he wanted out.

“We’re not interested in him going anywhere,” Leiweke stated bluntly. “People spin this stuff based on their end goals. There was spinning.”

There was also what would have been an MLS record transfer fee to consider.

“We got an offer that would have been the single largest fee in the history of Major League Soccer,” Leiweke said. “I went through this with (David Beckham in L.A.). We loaned him during this window.”

That’s not to say moving Defoe was never a possibility. The offers were there. Both parties considered them.

In the end, however, cooler heads prevailed. The Reds got to keep their leading talisman. And Defoe heard all the right things.

“I told him, ‘Look, you can help us. That’s the bottom line,’” Leiweke said of a conversation he had with Defoe.

“We had a hell of an offer from an EPL club,” Leiweke continued. “That’s a good statement about Jermain and the kind of year he’s having. This is what happens.”

Leiweke also curtailed fears that former head coach Ryan Nelsen’s sacking might have an impact on Defoe’s decision to stay in Toronto long-term.

Nelsen, a former teammate of Defoe’s, played a massive role in bringing the Englishman over.

This after QPR manager Harry Redknapp told BBC Radio Live 5 on Monday night that his club made a “big effort” to pry the Englishman away from Toronto, threatening to turn TFC’s “Bloody Big Deal” into a mess.

But as TFC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko told reporters later Monday night, the Reds “have a committed” player in Defoe.

“Jermain showed a commitment to his teammates and he’s going to be back.”

At this point, the club is hoping to put multiple distractions behind it ahead of a massive midweek fixture in Philadelphia under the guidance of a new manager.

Vanney is set to lead the Defoe-less Reds into a big six-pointer against the Union on Wednesday night.

“I think the world of (Ryan Nelsen). None of these guys would be here today without Ryan. But you can’t have friction in the organization. There has been distractions, but what today proves is, we are solidly focused on what we have to do.”

Leiweke added the decision to sack Nelsen might have been one that should have been made sooner.

“This is my fault for hanging in there as long as I did,” Leiweke said. “I think he’s a good man and he’ll be a very good coach. This team is better than we’ve shown. We needed a jolt. That’s the place you usually go and get your jolts.”

Following Monday’s decision to keep Defoe, the club is hoping its top scorer will regain the form that helped the Reds pile up wins earlier this year.

“We are very lucky to have a world-class player like him,” Leiweke finished. “This is part of the price. We’re going to have people trying to steal our players.”